Tora-chan: Hey there, sorry it's been a while but my computer decided that it didn't like the Internet anymore.
Inuyasha: Doesn't your computer do that like every other week?
Tora-chan: Well it was being really good for a while, so I thought it was getting better.
Inuyasha: You're just too stupid to use the thing.
Tora-chan: Really? I want you to show me how to open a new file in word.
Inuyasha: Ah - - um - -
Tora-chan: I'm waiting - - Who's the stupid one when it comes to computers
Inuyasha: (grumbling)
Hiroshi: Tora-chan can you please start the story already? Tora-chan does not own Inuyasha. She does own Vitanie, Yuki, Mari, and myself though. Please enjoy the story (bowing)
Last time: Inuyasha agreed to help Vitanie and the others find the Spirit stone (most likely because he knew that Kagome wanted to help)
The next morning dawned clear and much too early for Vitanie. After not sleeping well throughout the last month of the journey all she wanted to do now was sleep. She groaned when Hiroshi started to nudge the end of her bedroll to try and get her up.
"Come on Vee, we need to get ready to go," he persisted after trying to get her up for the eighth time.
"What a lazy, good for nothing cat," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath from where he leaned in the doorway. "Come on you stupid cat, we don't got all day," he yelled when she still didn't move.
She rolled over and sat up glaring at the hanyou. "Shut you're trap will ya," she snapped pushing the blanket away and slowly getting got her feet. Hiroshi grabbed the bedroll from her and started rolling it up for her as she started to shove a few things into her bag. When she finished with that she stood and took the bedroll strapped it to her pack and turned to walk out the door shoving her way past the ticked dog demon.
Kagome and the others were outside waiting and saw the ticked look on Vitanie's face as she exited. Yuki turned an angry glare on Inuyasha sure that it was something the hanyou had done to tick her off, at least until she slapped him upside the head.
"Behave yourself baka, he didn't do anything. Now lets go the sooner we leave the sooner we get there," she barked.
With a wary look at one another they all started to walk do the road away from Kaede's village towards where the Spirit stone was rumored to be.
As they walked they broke into small groups to talk and enjoy each other's company. Inuyasha seemed to ignore the groups and stayed ahead of the others, though Vitanie saw he had his ears back listening to the conversations. Hiroshi walked with Miroku, who could walk thanks to some medicine from Kagome. He was once again aimlessly plucking at the strings on his lyre. Sango was talking to Yuki about a fighting move she had seen during a fight. Shippo was running around with Mari and Kirara, while Sango's brother Kohaku watched them with a smile. Kagome was walking next to Vitanie not talking but giving silent companionship as they journeyed.
After about an hour, Shippo and Mari calmed down and jumped onto Kagome and Vitanie's shoulders respectively. About then Vitanie finally came out of her fogged mind.
"You know you guys didn't have to come with us, don't you?" she asked giving Kagome a sidelong look.
"Yea, we know, but we wanted to help. So don't worry about it," she laughed slightly. "I've been meaning to ask you since we left, but you seemed a little out of it," she shrugged. "But why do you care your staff strapped to your bag? Isn't it safer to be carrying it like Miroku does his?" she asked motioned back to where the monk walked.
"Yeah, I guess. But I usually don't need to use it, so I don't care it often anymore," Vitanie shrugged.
"What? You don't need it, then how do you protect yourselves?" Sango asked coming up behind them with Yuki.
Vitanie and Yuki exchanged a knowing silence before they both answered - - "Hiroshi." The two girls gave a confused looked before turning back and taking a glance at Hiroshi getting even more confused.
"I don't get it, how does he protect you. He doesn't even have a weapon," Sango finally asked.
With a sigh Vitanie answered, "Hiroshi doesn't need a weapon because he fights with his music." That answer just confused them more, but by this time the group was close enough together that they all could hear what was going on.
"How is music a weapon?" Shippo asked from Kagome's shoulder.
"Yes, that doesn't make much since," Miroku commented coming up beside Sango, but staying away from Vitanie.
Vitanie looked at Hiroshi trying to tell him silently to explain but he merely smiled and continued playing without saying a word. With a small growl and mumbled, "baka" she grabbed the end of the braid and slowly undid it as she started to explain.
"Hiroshi has two instruments, his lyre, that almost never leaves his hands, and his lute. Both instruments are itsutsu hoshi instruments . . ."
"Itsutsu hoshi? What in the blazes does that mean?" Inuyasha interrupted rudely.
"Well if you hadn't interrupted I would have explain," Vitanie huffed while starting to re-braid her hair.
"Itsutsu hoshi means five stars. If an instrument has the itsutsu hoshi mark it means that it is a spelled instrument," she smiled.
"Spelled instruments?" Miroku mused. "I've heard of that before, but there aren't many of them so how did you end up with two of them," he questioned.
Vitanie chuckled and smiled tying off the braid, as Hiroshi answered, "A crazy old man with a disappearing shop and a traveling salesman with the same habit of disappearing." Everyone gave him a weird look as he plucked a springy little tune out and then returned to the aimless plucking.
"It's really a long story to tell you exactly how we came across the instruments. But I can explain why I don't care my staff," she chuckled remembering the strange old man Makoto who had given her the lute to give to Hiroshi. "You see we didn't know what powers the instruments had until we meet Yuki. He was attacking us and Hiroshi just started to play out of fear. The song he played caused all of the wolves and wolf demons to fall to the ground and fall asleep. It wasn't Yuki's most glorious moment that's for sure."
"What kind of wolf are you falling asleep to a song?" Inuyasha gaffed.
"I wouldn't be to quick to talk if I were you," Mari piped up from Vitanie's shoulder. He also has a song that can make dog demons and humans fall asleep," she finished with a triumphant smile.
Inuyasha ducked his head and grumbled in anger.
"I don't get it Inuyasha, if I said something like that you'd hit me upside the head," Shippo yelled at him. Inuyasha choose to ignore the little fox demon.
"He didn't do anything because he knows he wont get anywhere near Mari while she's on my shoulder," Vitanie whispered to him just long enough for Inuyasha to hear. He turned and glared at her, but she just smiled and waved at him, which made him grumble again and everyone else laugh.
Once everyone quieted down Kagome brought everyone back to the topic, "So you don't carry your staff because Hiroshi plays a song that makes whoever attacks you fall asleep?"
"Yes and no," Vitanie answered. "Not all of Hiroshi's songs makes the attacker just fall asleep," she finished finally losing the smile that she had had while she explained the instruments. After about twenty minutes of silent travel she glanced at the sun and noticed the position. "It's almost mid day, there's a small stream ahead, why don't we stop there and grab a bit to eat. If we don't stay long we could get to Takehashi just after sundown. From there it's three days until we reach Fujigawa," she remarked.
They agreed and soon they found themselves relaxing a little bit by a stream before once again continuing their journey in search of the Spirit stone."
Tora-chan: Another chapter done! So what do you all think?
Vitanie: I think you waste your time. No one ever reviews.
Tora-chan: Not true. Inuyashaswife12 and RoCkRcHiK reviewed. Thanks you two I really appreciate it, big time. Oh and thank you gfam89 for the mention in your last chapter.
Vitanie: whatever
Tora-chan: You know if you got more sleep you wouldn't get so grumpy. What's your problem anyways, why can't you sleep.
Vitanie: How should I know! You're the writer."
Tora-chan: Oh yeah, that's right (hits palm against forehead with tongue sticking out with a giggle)
Hiroshi: (sighing) Please review for Tora-chan. Have a nice day (bows).